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Joe Theismann: Dolphins second to Arizona as best for Peyton Manning

More than a dozen teams would like to think they’ll be in play if and when Peyton Manning becomes a free agent in the next couple of weeks. The way NFL Network analyst Joe Theismann sees it, only Arizona has an edge over the Dolphins when the time comes for him to pick his next team.

“Miami is certainly a viable place for him,” said Theismann, who will be the guest speaker at a black-tie fundraiser for the Caring Treatment Center tonight at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach.

“Reggie Bush is set up for a big year. The receiving corps is pretty solid. The offensive line needs help, but you’ve got to figure (defensive coordinator) Kevin Coyle knows his stuff after working with Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati the last few years.

“But it’s going to be a learning process. How much time will a team have Peyton Manning as its quarterback to develop things around him to be a contender? When you look at the AFC East, New England isn’t going away, the (New York) Jets are competitive and you have to think Buffalo is going to be competitive. So there are challenges.”

Arizona’s division, the NFC West, is one reason Theismann believes the Cardinals are a better fit.

“They would be competitive in that division right away,” he said. “But the biggest reason is they’re a dome team. Peyton played in a dome his whole career in Indy and you’d think that controlled environment would be important to him. He’s also got (wide receiver) Larry Fitzgerald, and talk is they’re doing all they can to bring (defensive end) Calais Campbell back. They also have room under the cap so they can sign free agents to put around him in the short term.”

That’s where Theismann thinks Manning will wind up. Ask him where he would like to see him wind up, and his first response in Indianapolis, followed by nowhere at all.

“When I was asked about him initially, my response was I’d like to see him retire,” Theismann said.

“I worry about a guy who’s done so much for the NFL, so much for the city of Indianapolis, so much for the game of football,” Theismann continued. “With the neck injury he has, his health is still very much at risk.”

But Theismann knows firsthand how difficult it is to walk away from the game you love. After his career ended at age 36 when he suffered a compound leg fracture on a hit by Lawrence Taylor in 1985, he said the two broadcast contracts he signed up to age 40 had escape clauses that would have allowed him to play had he received medical clearance.

“You can ask guys like Phil Simms and Steve Young _ it’s hard to get it out of your system. When I was 50 I was throwing scout-team drills for the (Baltimore) Ravens before the Super Bowl.

“(Former Detroit running back) Barry Sanders and I were inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame this year and we talked about retirement. People said he’d come back after he retired (at age 31), but to them I’d say ‘You don’t know Barry.’ Not many guys could do (what he did).”

As for tonight’s event, Theismann said he takes pleasure in participating in a fundraiser that will benefit a facility to treat addiction.

“It’s important for people to understand that when you’re an addict going through problems, it doesn’t just affect one person,” he said. “Everybody is touched by it. I try to heighten the awareness of what it’s like to be around that situation.

“The only way you can possibly get through it is through treatment. It’s not something you can fix on your own. So it’s important that there are places like this available to people.”